Introducing the International French & Cuban Music Schools

Drummer, Clive Fenner is the Director of Jazz Summer School and started the International French Jazz School and the International Cuban Music School. He organises and plays at The Eastside Jazz Club and leads the Clive Fenner Quartet

The International French Jazz Summer School was first offered in 1995 in a French Domain close to Montpellier. The course was run for just 1 week and key tutors were Simon Purcell (Piano, Head of Jazz Studies at Trinity - Laban) and Martin Hathaway (Saxophones, Head of Jazz Studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama). In the following 19 years the Jazz Summer School course has expanded to run over 3 weeks and offers programmes for all instrumentalists and singers of all experience levels who have a common desire to develop and improve their jazz performance and improvisational skills.

Tutors and participants live, play, eat, learn and have fun together. The course creates a real jazz community, offering support and encouragement to all and generating a great sense of pride in everyone involved. A previous course member summed it up "...must be the benchmark for all Jazz courses".

The Cuban Music School was started in 2002 and has been located since then in the centre of Old Havana.

As well as attending the daily workshops, participants visit music venues in Havana, learn and perform with top Cuban musicians and play alongside their tutors in the final night’s concert. We also make time for participants to visit the historic and unique city of Havana and its nearby beaches. We’re very proud of this comment from one of our students. It summarises the great feedback we receive: "....the best possible way for a musician to visit Cuba".

The International French Jazz and Cuban Music Schools are located in East London, United Kingdom - postal address: 41A High Street, Wanstead, London E11 2AA